


hidden behind the nice smell of a scented candle

by Ennoshita



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M, a small mention of gerita, so much cheese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 08:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5490260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ennoshita/pseuds/Ennoshita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically, Antonio gives Lovino a very early Christmas present that holds a pretty big secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hidden behind the nice smell of a scented candle

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so I have this head-canon that Romano loves scented candles. my original idea was that he collected them, and there was one he was missing from this certain brand he loved, and he really wanted it, but every time he searched in stores or online to find it, it was sold out. Spain then decides to be insanely cool and give it to him as a Christmas present. cue a very happy and adorable Romano. (if someone wants to steal that idea, then go right ahead, because I would love to read it). anyway, when I was looking up brands of scented candles, I came across a brand called Jewel Scent, and then this one-shot happened.
> 
> TL;DR: look up Jewel Scent candles and you'll see what I mean.

“Merry Christmas!”

Lovino stared at the present wrapped in shiny silver paper, then at the man holding it out to him. Antonio stared back with a big smile, eyes shining.

“What the fuck? It’s still November.” Lovino gestured around at their still-decorated-for-Thanksgiving living room from his spot on the couch to prove his point. Antonio sat down beside him and pushed the parcel into his lap.

“I know! I just thought I’d give you an early Christmas present. Nothing wrong with that, right?” Antonio tilted his head just so, the slightest of pouts hinting at the corners of his lips. Lovino rolled his eyes.

“You’re such an idiot, you know that?” The Italian sighed, but set out opening the present anyway. A small “yay!” was heard, and Lovino stopped ripping the wrapping paper for a moment to glare at the too-optimistic Spaniard beside him. 

A small-but-not-too-small cardboard box rested in Lovino’s hands after all the silver paper was tossed aside, and he stared at it curiously. Just a bit of tape was used to close the flaps, so no knife was needed as Lovino pried the box open using only his slim fingers. A slight grape scent accompanied the cylindrical object as he pulled it out of the box and held it up to his face to read the label.

“Concord Grape…a candle?” 

“Sí! I know you like grapes and scented candles, so I found a grape scented candle!” Antonio looked all too pleased with himself as he grinned a big, dorky grin, one that lit up his already bright green eyes. 

Lovino looked away and almost smiled. Almost. “Yeah okay. Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled. “I’m going to go light it now, so I can smell it and see if you picked a good one or not.” He got up before he could hear Antonio’s response, crinkling the wrapping paper on the floor as he walked across the living room to the mantle over the fireplace. Standing on his tiptoes, he took the old scented candle out of the holder and put the new one in. He adjusted it so it was in-between two pictures, one of him and his brother Feliciano, and the other of a grumpy Lovino and a cheerful Antonio standing in front of the cracked Liberty Bell. A ghost of a smile graced Lovino’s lips as he remembered the trip to America. They had taken plenty of pictures, but this one had been Antonio’s favorite _(“But Lovi, you look so cute!”),_ and he insisted that it be shown off. 

Lovino walked back across the living room towards the kitchen, feeling Antonio’s stare following him. Once in the kitchen, he went immediately to the drawer he knew the lighter would be in, only to see that it wasn’t there.

“Antonio!” Lovino called, projecting his voice over his shoulder while rummaging through the next drawer. “Where’d the lighter go?”

“Huh? It should be in the drawer to the le-oh wait. No, I think I know where it is. Hang on.” Lovino heard Antonio getting up from the couch. A few moments later, he was on the other side of the kitchen, opening the cabinet that held their cups. When he stepped back and turned around, the red-handled lighter was in his grasp. “Found it!” 

Lovino closed his eyes.

“Antonio.”

“Yes, Lovi?”

“Why was the lighter in with the cups?”

“I don’t know really.”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

\--

It turns out that the Concord Grape candle actually had a very nice smell. So nice that it became a part of Lovino’s morning routine to light it. The generic candle holder had been replaced with a Christmassy one, with smiling snowmen holding hands, surrounding the candle. The mantle had tinsel hanging off of it, the fireplace had stockings lined across it, and a Christmas tree adorned with colorful lights and ornaments stood proudly in the corner. Christmas had basically thrown up in the Carriedo-Vargas household, but neither were complaining. 

Finally, the day came.

Lovino blinked his eyes open to see Antonio staring at him, bright, clear eyes suggesting he had already been up for a while. 

“Good morning, Lovi,” he said in a voice too peppy for that early in the morning. He leaned down and kissed Lovino’s forehead before rolling out of bed, stretching high over his head and yawning. Lovino closed his eyes and snuggled further under the covers, ready to go back to sleep. A small gasp was heard, and Antonio exclaimed, “Dios mío, it’s Christmas! I totally forgot! Lovi, you can’t go back to sleep. We have to open presents, and then go to Feli and Ludwig’s house for lunch! C’mon, get up!”

As much as Lovino liked the holidays, he liked sleep even more. He groaned and yanked the blankets up over his head, which resulted in Antonio pulling on the edge of the sheets and whining.  
Lovino clenched his eyes shut for a moment before giving in to the relentless Spaniard, throwing the covers back and sitting up. “Fine, I’m up!” Antonio grinned, and Lovino couldn’t help but send a very small smile back. It was Christmas, after all. No sense in pretending to be in a bad mood. “Come on, you bastard. Let’s go open some presents.”

\--

The two men sat in front of the Christmas tree, torn wrapping paper and new gifts surrounding them. Lovino was folding a nice black and white collared shirt, and Antonio busied himself with collecting all the wrapping paper around him, balling it up, and throwing it to the other side of the room. Lovino sighed.

“You know I’m going to make you clean that up, right?”

Antonio tossed another wad. “Yeah, yeah, I will.” He looked at the clock on the wall above the TV. “Hmm…it’s a quarter to ten, and we told your brother we’d be over there at twelve. Should I go shower now?”

He seemed to be talking to himself, but Lovino answered anyways. “Do whatever you want, idiot.”

“Okay, then I’ll spend some more time with you!” Antonio scooted across the floor until he was in front of Lovino. He reached out his hands and cupped Lovino’s cheeks, bringing his face forward to kiss him. Lovino placed one hand on Antonio’s knee and the other on the side of his neck, sighing and relishing in the sweet moment before it was gone. Antonio pulled back first, but kept their foreheads pressed together.

“I love you.”

“Shut up, I wasn’t done kissing you.”

Antonio merely hummed before connecting their lips again. After another few moments of short, delicate kisses, Lovino remembered something. He pulled his head away and frowned. 

“I forgot to light my candle,” he explained when he saw Antonio’s questioning look. He stood up and walked to the kitchen to grab the lighter, then made his way back to the living room. Antonio was still sitting on the floor amidst the opened presents, casually leaning back on his hands and staring as Lovino walked by. Once Lovino was in front of the mantle, he reached up and grabbed the grape-scented candle, since he was too short to light it while it was still in its holder. He flicked the lighter on, and was about to set the wick ablaze when he noticed something shiny sticking out of the wax. He turned around and set the lighter on the coffee table beside the couch.

“What is it Lovi?” Antonio asked. There was a knowing glint in his eyes, but Lovino didn’t see it. Instead, he was looking at the unknown object inside the candle. He grabbed it with his index and thumb fingers and wiggled it gently, surprised at how easily it started to slip out of the wax. When it was all the way out, Lovino set the candle down by the lighter and held the small object up to examine it. 

A beat of silence went by.

Then, with a quick exclamation of shock, Lovino covered his mouth with his free hand and looked over to Antonio, who was hurriedly standing up and making his way over. 

“Nessun modo...” Lovino took a shuddering breath. Antonio pulled the Italian’s hand away from his mouth and held it, gently caressing the other one before it unclenched. A ring sat in Lovino’s palm. He raised his eyes to meet Lovino’s glistening ones.

“Lovi…you know I love you, right?”

A small, choked-back sob escaped Lovino’s lips as Antonio knelt and got down on one knee. He moved his hands so that both of them encompassed only one of Lovino’s smaller hands, the one holding the ring. Antonio stared at the ground for a moment, seeming to compose himself as he took a deep breath, then lifted his head. A nervous chuckle was heard. 

“I don’t have a speech prepared. I figured that it would be more special if I just say anything that comes to my mind during this moment, and all I want to talk about right now is you. God, Lovino. I love you so much. I love absolutely everything about you. Even when you’re telling me to ‘stop being so goddamn happy all the time,’ or when you call me a bastard, I still love you. I don’t think anything will ever stop me from loving you, even if you stop loving me.” He paused when he saw Lovino shaking his head.

“No, no, that would never happen, you stupid idiot. Do you hear me? Never.” Lovino was blinking rapidly to stop the onslaught of tears that threatened to fall.

Antonio smiled, but it wasn’t his usual shit-eating grin he normally wore. This one was smaller, softer, and only for Lovino’s eyes. Lovino’s breath hitched when he saw it, and a few tears managed to free themselves. He hastily brought his free hand up to wipe at them, and Antonio knew that if he were ever to ask Lovino about that, the Italian would stubbornly deny it happening. _(“The fuck you mean I was crying? I don’t cry, you bastard.”)_

“That’s good then, because I want you to love me forever. I want to be able to hold you until the world ends, kiss you until we’re the only two people left on Earth. I want to have you until the end of time. Will you accept my selfish ways and be with me forever? Will you become mine?” Antonio stopped again and drew in another deep breath. When he started speaking again, his voice was shaking just enough for it to be noticeable. “Lovino Vargas, will you marry me?”

Lovino, red-faced and shiny-eyed, grabbed Antonio’s hands with his free one and pulled until the Spaniard got the hint and stood up. He shook his other hand until Antonio let go. The ring sparkled as Lovino grabbed it and stared at it for one tense second, before sliding it onto the appropriate finger. 

“Lovi? Is…is that a yes?”

Antonio was staring at him with a hopeful spark in his eyes. Lovino glanced down at the ring on his finger, before meeting Antonio’s gaze and promply _bursting into laughter._ Antonio’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You...Oh my god, you were so… _nervous_.” With that last word, a new wave of giggles racked through his body. He leaned his head on Antonio’s chest, shoulders shaking, until he calmed down enough to finally breathe out: “Of _course_ it’s a yes, you dumbass.”

Something seemed to seize Antonio’s heart, and his throat clogged up with emotion. He wrapped his arms tightly around Lovino’s waist and pushed his face into Lovino’s hair with a mumbled “thank goodness.”

Lovino returned the embrace. “I can hear your heart pounding,” he pointed out, and Antonio could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m happy,” he said simply, his voice muffled by Lovino’s hair.

“…Hey, Antonio?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Antonio’s heart soared at the words. It was so rare to hear Lovino say them, and even rarer to hear it without any hesitation.

“I love you too, Lovi. Merry Christmas.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have never written anything even remotely fluffy, so I apologize for all this chEESE.


End file.
